Mastering Your Sleep: Game-Changing Hacks For Restful Nights

Ashley - September 26, 2023

How many times have you woken up wishing you had more time to sleep? Even when you get a full 8 hours, it’s still easy to feel tired and drained throughout the day. Many of us move through the day sluggishly, anticipating the relief we’ll feel when we finally fall into bed later that night. Then, the worst happens- suddenly, you’re wide awake, staring at your ceiling, and wondering why you’re tired every second of the day until your head hits the pillow. If this experience sounds familiar, you’re not alone!

A lot of people go through periods where they aren’t getting restful sleep at night. Not only is this emotionally draining, but it also has the potential to cause physical issues as well. Are you ready to take charge of your health and say goodbye to those pesky nights of insomia? Then you’ll want to get ready to take notes because we’re sharing the best hacks, tips, and tricks for getting a peaceful night’s sleep.

The Military Method

Don’t panic! Despite its name, we’re not suggesting you enlist to exhaust yourself to the point where you fall asleep without any effort. Instead, what we’re about to talk about is a method the military developed during WWII to help soldiers fall asleep. After dealing with a period of troops struggling with insomnia, the military realized they needed a way to help their soldiers let go of their stress at the end of the night so they could catch some sleep. Follow these easy seven steps to try the military method:

1. Slowly relax your entire face.
2. Drop your shoulders to release the tension in your neck.
3. Let your hands drop to the side of your body.
4. Exhale slowly and relax your chest.
5. Relax your legs, thighs, and calves.
6. Clear your mind for 10 seconds.
7. Repeat the phrase “don’t think” for 10 seconds.

This method may seem silly, but many soldiers swore by it during their deployments. Still not convinced? Try it for yourself and watch how quickly your body and mind begin to drift off.

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Ear Massage

Photo Credit: reflexology-worcester.co.uk

This is a cool technique because it’s easy to do yourself, but it’s also a great way to bond with your partner! In the world of holistic medicine, it’s believed that we have pressure points throughout our bodies that can help with a wide variety of physical and mental health issues. The ears are apparently full of pressure points and you can use that knowledge to help yourself fall asleep at night.

Here’s what you want to do: slide your finger back along your ear until you find a little ridge or notch. It may feel tender or sore if you’re particularly stressed. Rub that spot in a circular motion 100-200 times. That gentle ear massage will help you relax and calm your nervous system, which will help you fall asleep.

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Go Shopping

We’re not suggesting that a good dose of retail therapy is all you need, but a shopping trip might be the answer to your problems. Many people don’t realize that they’re sleeping on a mattress that’s completely wrong for them. You need to find the right mattress for your specific needs. People with back pain might benefit from a firming mattress that provides more support, while those with joint pain might prefer a softer mattress that conforms to the shape of their body.

Take a trip to your local mall and test out several different kinds of mattresses before making your decision. Also, while you’re there, make sure to pick up some new pillows too. Most of us don’t bother to replace our pillows until they’re lumpy and misshapen, but this can absolutely contribute to a lack of sleep!

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Try Meditation And Visualization

Meditation and visualization techniques have been used all around the world for centuries to help ease stress, calm the nervous system, and treat insomnia. It’s a scientifically proven method that works well to slow your body’s processes down and help guide you into sleep. Lay down as you would normally and get comfortable.

Feel free to put on some soothing music or nature sounds like waves on a beach or rainfall. Then, fill your mind with images that soothe you. For most people, this could mean picturing the sunset, a vibrant forest, or a serene lake. Focus on what your senses would feel if you were in that scene. What would you see, hear, touch, smell, and taste? By the time you’ve worked your way through all five senses, you’ll be astonishingly relaxed and ready to drift away.

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The 4-7-8 Method

Here’s another breathing technique you’ll want to keep in your back pocket. It’s a great way to manage stress or anxiety in the middle of the day, but it’s also very effective at relaxing the mind and body to help you fall asleep at night. This is a super simple method that’s easy to remember and master. Start by parting your lips and fully clearing your lungs.

Exhale deeply, until you have no air left to give away. Next, inhale silently through your nose while counting slowly and calmly to four. Hold your breath for seven seconds. Last, exhale for eight seconds. Repeating this cycle even four times has been shown to significantly reduce stress and calm the central nervous system.

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Invest In Black Out Curtains

Do you go to bed before the sun does? Or maybe you live in the city where light frequently enters your bedroom, regardless of the time of night. Even if you live in a rural area, the light of a full moon could come through your window and completely mess up your circadian rhythm. Exposure to light at night is one of the biggest reasons people have a hard time falling asleep at night.

Thankfully, it’s also one of the easiest issues to solve. All you need is a simple pair of quality black out curtains. They’ll completely block the light from coming into your bedroom and give you a dark space in which to fall asleep. Make sure they’re thick and long enough to completely block the window, and enjoy a peaceful night’s sleep once they’re installed.

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Check Your Color Scheme

Science has proven that colors have a massive effect on us psychologically. There’s a reason that sporting and party spaces use bright, vibrant colors like reds, oranges, and yellows. These colors automatically hype us up, make us excited, and get our blood flowing. Other colors like light blues, greens, and purples, have the opposite effect.

They’re soothing and calming, and they help us relax. Take a good look around your bedroom and really analyze your color scheme. Is your bedroom full of soothing tones or vibrant hues? If you find your room full of bright posters or orange colored walls, it’s time for a change. Take anything that’s too bright or exciting out of your room and make sure the color scheme is relaxing.

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Create A Bedtime Playlist

For some people, falling asleep when it’s completely silent is impossible. Your ears start straining, waiting and listening for a sound that never comes. Silence can actually be distracting for a lot of people, and studies have proven that having relaxing sounds or calming music can actually help people fall asleep easier, enter REM stage quicker, and stay asleep longer.

Put together a playlist of calming music or nature sounds that you can listen to each evening. Studies suggest that music with 60 beats per minute is ideal for encouraging sleep. You may have to play around a bit to see what works for you, but thankfully there are endless videos of fireplaces crackling and waves crashing that last for 12 hours on YouTube!

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Keep Your Thermostat Low

Did you know that the ideal temperature range for sleep is 65-68 degrees? Many people would probably consider this too cold, but it’s scientifically proven that this range helps a person enter the restorative stage of sleep faster and stay in that stage for longer. Of course, you don’t want to let yourself get too cold because then you’ll be too uncomfortable to sleep, so make sure to dress appropriately and have plenty of fluffy blankets on hand.

Keep your thermostat low in the evenings and turn it back up during the day to a more comfortable temperature. This will help your body naturally associate the lower temperature with sleep, so when you turn down the temperature and lay down in the evenings, you’ll have trained your body to understand that this means it’s bedtime.

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Avoid Using Sleep Trackers

Nearly 10% of Americans habitually use sleep trackers. They’re marketed as a positive thing- a way to keep track of your natural sleep and wake cycles, so you can better understand your individual habits and needs. But in reality, sleep trackers have been proven to cause anxiety around sleep and can make it harder for a person to fall asleep at night.

Have you ever laid awake in bed for a while and felt positive an hour has passed? Then you start calculating how long you’ll have to sleep if you fall asleep right that second, and it just winds you up to the point where sleep becomes impossible. Sleep trackers contribute to that kind of anxiety, so it’s best to avoid using them altogether.

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Set Your Alarm For The Same Time Every Day

It’s nearly impossible to train your body to sleep through the night when you’re staying up and waking up at different times throughout the week. As humans, we thrive on consistent routines, so it’s important to get your sleep schedule straight. Pick a wake up time and stick to it every day, even on weekends and days off when you’d normally sleep in.

Pretty soon, you’ll find yourself waking up before the alarm even goes off! This will help your body know what to expect, so you’ll naturally find yourself falling asleep around the same time every evening in preparation for your consistent wake up time.

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Playing Puzzles Will Relax You Before Bed

Sometimes we struggle to calm our minds at the end of the day. After spending all day in front of a screen, slaving away at work, taking care of kids, etc., we need a chance to wind down before bedtime that doesn’t involve screens.

Rather than putting on that movie you’ve been looking forward to, try doing a puzzle before bed instead. Puzzles are soothing and they don’t require much mental energy. They’re also very satisfying to put together, so it can be a bit of a therapeutic experience for some. It will help you de-stress from your day and ease your mind before bed.

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Limit Your Naps To 20 Minutes

It might not sound like 20 minutes is long enough for a nap, but science has proven that the ideal length for daytime sleeps is 20 minutes. Napping for longer than this will mess up your sleep schedule and make it harder to fall asleep at night.

It’s also been found that the best time to take a nap is early to mid-afternoon, right after lunch time. If you feel you need a nap, try for 20 minutes around this time. Don’t let yourself lay down, even to “rest your eyes,” for any longer than this. Trust us, you’ll appreciate it when you get a good night’s sleep!

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Eat Foods That Reduce Cortisol Levels

Cortisol is a hormone that your body naturally produces throughout the day. It’s known as the “stress hormone,” but it’s also responsible for giving us much of our energy throughout the day. High cortisol levels can also suppress the production of melatonin, which is a necessary hormone our bodies produce that tell us when it’s time to go to bed.

If you’re struggling to fall asleep at night, there’s a good chance you have too much cortisol in your system. Try eating foods that naturally reduce cortisol levels, such as dark chocolate, bananas, walnuts, eggs, and garlic. Supplements like ashwagandha and fish oil can also help with this.

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Relax For 30 Minutes Before Bed

It’s hard to fall asleep when your mind is still racing. If you find yourself lying in bed at night while mentally creating a to-do list for the following day or going over what you’ve accomplished that day, then it’s safe to assume you aren’t properly relaxing before you lie down at night. There are a ton of ways to mentally wind down before bed- like visualization techniques or doing a relaxing game like a puzzle.

But one of the most common ways to chill out before bed is to read a book. Many people find their eyes getting tired while reading at night. Just get comfortable in bed, open a book you enjoy, and read until you can’t keep your eyes open anymore!

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Make A Cup Of Lettuce Tea

You may have seen the viral TikTok hack about lettuce tea, but in case you haven’t, let us explain. Videos began circulating on the platform earlier this year that claimed drinking a cup of lettuce tea before bedtime would help you fall asleep. It turns out that there’s actually some science behind this. Romain lettuce is full of lactucarium, which is a compound similar to opium in structure.

This compound gives lettuce a sedative effect. It’s similar to the way you feel drowsy after stuffing yourself with turkey during Thanksgiving dinner. But don’t worry. If the idea of drinking lettuce tea totally turns you off, you can always drop into your local health food store and buy an over-the-counter lactucarium supplement!

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Avoid Electronics An Hour Before Bedtime

You’ve probably heard this tip before, but it’s scientifically proven that using electronics within an hour of trying to go to sleep will make it more difficult for you to fall asleep. Electronics like cell phones, tablets, and televisions put off a ton of blue light.

This tricks your body into thinking it’s daytime and suppresses your production of melatonin, which is the hormone that helps you feel tired. Putting away the electronics an hour before bedtime will give your body a chance to realize that it’s nighttime. Your body will begin to produce melatonin and soon, you’ll be ready to crawl into bed.

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Sleep Under The Stars

Our artificially lit and technology-driven lives have a massive impact on our circadian rhythms. Spending nights under bright, artificial lights while staring at a screen will seriously mess up your body’s natural understanding of day vs. night and completely disrupt your body’s melatonin production. Thankfully, there’s an easy way to reset our circadian rhythms and get back into a pattern of restful nights.

All you need to do is spend a night sleeping under the stars! Take a camping trip or set up a tent in your backyard and spend a couple of nights reconnecting with nature. This will expose your body to the Earth’s natural light-dark cycle, which will reprogram your circadian rhythm and help you fall back into a pattern of healthy sleep habits.

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Get 30 Minutes Of Sunlight Every Day

If you can’t manage an overnight camping trip, that’s okay! Another option to reset your circadian rhythm is to spend 30 minutes outside every day, soaking in the sunlight. Make this a part of your daily routine and take the time to put your phone away and simply enjoy the natural light. Your body’s internal clock is regulated by natural light, so this exposure will help normalize your circadian rhythm.

However, we understand that some people live in areas that don’t get much sunlight, and you might be unable to get in the sunlight every single day. In that case, consider a light therapy box. It mimics sunlight and will have the same positive impact on your circadian rhythm.

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Change Up Your Sleep Position

There’s another possible reason you could be having a hard time falling asleep at night, and it doesn’t have anything to do with your body’s internal clock. Instead, your sleep position could be the culprit behind your sleepless nights. It turns out that the position you fall asleep in can have a significant impact on your physical health- from keeping your spine aligned to streamlining your digestive system.

Experts say the best sleeping position is lying flat on your back. This allows your spine to stay straight, and it provides an even distribution of weight along your entire body. You’re far less likely to wake up with a sore back or achy hips when you sleep on your back!

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Give Your Pets All The Cuddles

Many people consider their pets their best friends, and there’s a good reason for this. Research shows that cuddling up with your pets will actually help relieve stress. The physical touch soothes your central nervous system, which means it eases your heart rate and breathing.

This can help lull you into an almost meditative state. Once you’re in that trance-like state of nice cuddles and soft fur, try closing your eyes. You might be amazed at how easy it is to fall asleep! If you don’t like allowing your pet in your bed, try giving them cuddles on the couch or even your living room floor before heading off to bed.

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Try Adding A Mattress Pad

Some people require more comfort than others. Perhaps you have a firm mattress, but what your body is really craving is some cushioning underneath it. In that case, rather than shelling out hundreds or even thousands of dollars on a new mattress, give a mattress pad a try.

Mattress pads are great for adding a couple of additional inches of pure comfort to your mattress. It will help support the sore parts of your body and give you the cushioning needed to sink into a state of total relaxation. When your body is able to relax physically, your mind will follow suit.

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Do A Flip

We’re not suggesting you flip off your bed in frustration. That would be a serious overreaction and probably pretty dangerous. Instead, we’re recommending you flip your perspective by literally flipping yourself upside down via a headstand. It probably sounds strange, but when you’ve been tossing and turning for hours, try doing a headstand.

Studies have shown that certain yoga poses, like the headstand, can help ease sleep struggles. This is because a headstand increases blood circulation to the brain’s pituitary and hypothalamus, both of which are directly linked to sleep regulation. Not only can this position help foster healthier sleep, but it can also bolster your mindset and help you regulate your emotional state.

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Keep A Journal To Reduce Stress

Stress, anxiety, and depression are all leading causes of insomnia. Do you find yourself lying awake at night with random thoughts racing through your head too quickly for you to even identify them? If so, you’re probably struggling with your mental health. One super helpful tip is to get all of those thoughts down on paper before you lie down at night.

This gives you the opportunity to process the emotions and experiences you’ve had that day, so they don’t clog up your mind when you’re trying to fall asleep. Journaling is proven to be an excellent therapeutic technique, so the next time you find your mind swarming with thoughts right as bedtime approaches, take a second to write them all down. It will clear your mind and help prepare you for bed.

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A Banana A Day Keeps Insomnia Away

Bananas are a delicious treat any day, but they’re super beneficial for those struggling to get a restful night’s sleep. These goodies are filled with helpful vitamins and minerals that have stress-reducing properties and muscle-relaxing capabilities. Studies have shown that the high concentration of potassium and magnesium in bananas can help ease aches and pains and reduce cortisol levels, which reduces your stress and anxiety.

In addition to that, bananas will encourage your body to produce more melatonin! Essentially, eating a banana a day will help soothe your body and mind while also working to regulate your sleep patterns and enhancing your overall sleep quality.

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Listening To ASMR Videos Can Lull You To Sleep

Have you heard of the ultra-popular ASMR trend going around on social media? It seems you can’t scroll around TikTok, Youtube, or Facebook without coming across a video of someone whispering soothingly in your ear or rubbing two pieces of paper together.

These oddly satisfying videos use sounds to help soothe people, and they’ve apparently become a popular way for some people to fall asleep at night. Try putting on one of these videos the next time you’re experiencing a sleepless night. Close your eyes and try to relax your body while listening to the sounds. With any luck, you’ll drift off to sleep in no time!

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Try A Weighted Blanket

Weighted blankets have gained massive popularity in recent years. They’re designed to feel like a comforting hug, and many people cite these blankets as being the cure for their restless nights. Having that weight on a person’s body often helps regulate their central nervous system, which in turn allows their breathing and heart rate to slow down.

This will help the person relax and guide them into a state where restful sleep is easier to attain. Weighted blankets can be a bit pricey, but they’re well worth their price tag! If you’ve tried the other tips on this list and had no luck, we highly recommend getting a weighted blanket and giving it a shot.

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Remember To Stretch Before Bed

Stretching isn’t just good for your overall physical health. It’s also a great way to get your body relaxed and comfortable enough to fall asleep at night! When you get into bed each evening, take a moment to really stretch your limbs and core. Put your legs out flat in front of you and reach to your toes.

Breathe deeply and evenly as the tension melts away. Take a moment to stretch your neck, back, and core. Doing this will give your muscles that relaxing jelly-like feeling, and you’ll simply melt into your bed afterward. it’s hard to resist sleep when you’re feeling so comfortable and cozy.

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Get A Pair Of Fuzzy Socks

Technically, you don’t need fuzzy socks for this trick to work, but they’re definitely the most comfortable type of socks around, so you might as well grab them! Wearing socks to bed can help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. Now, before you scoff at this tip, you should know that there’s real science behind this.

Wearing socks promotes a drop in core body temperature, which is necessary for a person to fall asleep. However, some people have a hard time falling asleep with socks on and find them uncomfortable, so here are a few other ideas: take a bath or shower before bed, cuddle up with a hot water bottle 30 minutes before bedtime, or take a footbath right before you crawl into bed.

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Eat A Tablespoon Of Honey Before Bed

Maybe you’ve tried putting a bit of honey into your chamomile tea at night and noticed yourself falling asleep faster that evening. Did you contribute it to the chamomile tea? If so, you’re missing out on one of nature’s wonders!

While camomile tea works very well for relaxation, it doesn’t have the same effect on your body as honey. Honey actually encourages melatonin production, which is the hormone that helps you fall asleep. Eating even one tablespoon of honey a night can be enough to help your body drift off to sleep faster, stay asleep longer, and enjoy more restful periods of REM sleep.

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